Canon 7D, EF 70-200mm f2.8 IS @ 125mm, f/16, 1/90 sec, ISO 400
Just a few moments after I took the image on my previous post the sun popped over the ridge and lit up Zabriskie Point. The point seemed like it was on fire. The subtle tonalities were severely washed out. I had to add a lot of structure in NIK Viveza and tonal contrast in NIK ColorEfex Pro to bring out the contrasts.
Canon 7D, EF 70-200mm f2.8 IS @ 200mm, f/11, 1/20 sec, ISO 400
Sunrise had just broken on the mountains on the far side of Death Valley. Zabriskie Point was still in the shadows, but there was enough light to bring out the tonal differences in the ridges and valleys leading down from the point.
Canon 5D MkIII, EF 24-70mm f2.8L @ 34mm, f/11, 1/100 sec, ISO 400
Last weekend we visited family in Los Angeles. We started talking about photographic adventures and Death Valley came up. I thought I would go back through my images from earlier this year and post a few more from my trip to Death Valley with John Barclay and Chuck Kimmerle.
This image is from the “infamous” racetrack basin. Nobody knows exactly how these rocks move across the basin. Which direction did this 18-inch rock come from???
Anyway, it was an awe-inspiring site to visit and explore. Staying with the Black and White theme of the workshop, I focused on the contrast between the elements within the frame. I darkened the tracks slightly to help pop them out from the flats.
I haven’t been very active in expanding my photographic knowledge and experience during the last several months. Something was always in the forefront. I fell into a real slump. When I did shoot, nothing seemed to pop out to me. I continued following my favorite photographers on-line and became more and more envious on what they were doing. My work seemed to be so mundane.
Today, I took a few moments to look back on some of my work last summer. I saw this image of the Limekiln Lighthouse on San Juan Island and felt that it wasn’t so bad after all. It provided me with a stimulus to go back out and continue to shoot and enjoy the outdoors that I love.
Today is a thought of Peace. The stillness and peacefulness of Peace Valley Park is always a wonderful place to escape to. We are so lucky to have a place like this so close by.
Just turn around and see a whole different world. The last 3 posts looking West showed peaceful images without a cloud in the sky. Looking East was a totally different story. These clouds were just flying across the sky along the eastern horizon. I was intrigued by the wispiness of the clouds. There must have been quite a high jet stream up there. B&W provided the sharp contrast between the clouds and the bright blue sky.
These steep vertical spires of Smith Rocks separated the view between the images on my previous two posts. Looking at these massive rocks jutting out of the landscape makes me realize just how amazing Nature is. I attempted to use black and white to emphasize the drama of these spires. An early morning sunrise will make this image spectacular. I can’t wait to go back!
This is another image that I will use as a reference for coming back to Smith Rocks for a Sunset photo shoot. A sunset over Mt. Bachelor and the Crooked River should be interesting. In this image I tried to line up the Crooked River so it would lead to Mt. Bachelor in the distance.
We visited Smith Rocks (near Bend, OR) with a couple of great friends in early July at mid-day. Not the best time for great breath-taking images. So I focused on finding good compositions that I can come back to during another trip, at sunrise. This image frames Broken Top between two spires of Smith Rocks. The round boulder in the middle provides a little interest. I removed houses that were located along the tree-lined ridge in Photoshop. If you look close you can still see a few remnants.
During a recent trip to Bend, my wife and I did a little exploring around the area. We took a drive to Tumalo Falls during the middle of the day. The mid-day sun did not do this beautiful waterfall justice. To capture the bright greens without washing the bright water out, I blended two exposures together; one taken for the water and the other for the green trees.